TDA 2. 2 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people. Introduction Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people is a high priority in the workplace, and certain actions and procedures must be followed to ensure the safety of all children, both inside and outside of school. There are several different areas that must be addressed when considering safeguarding the welfare of children and young people, both within the school environment and the home environment. TDA 2. 2 – 1. 1. – Current Legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures

The first, and most fundamental, piece of legislation regarding the welfare of children and young people is the Children Act 1989. This Act was primarily introduced to give boundaries and help to local authorities, and other services, to better regulate intervention in the interest of children and young people. The ultimate aim of the Act was to make the UK safer for all children under the age of 18. The Act was created based upon the strong belief that children are safer and best cared for within the family unit, and in particular, introduced the notion of parental responsibility.

Another piece of legislation introduced to help safeguard the welfare of children and young people was the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which was signed by the UK on 19th April 1990. It is an international human rights treaty that essentially grants all children and young people under the age of 17 a comprehensive set of over 40 rights. These include, but are not limited to: special protection measures and assistance, access to services such as education and healthcare, and to grow up in an environment of happiness, love and understanding.

In relation to the school environment, conducting background CRB checks on any new members of staff ensures the welfare of children and young people. This check assesses an applicant’s suitability to work within a school, by providing employers with information such as convictions, warnings and cautions. TDA 2. 2 – 1. 2 – Roles of different agencies There are several different agencies involved in safeguarding the welfare of children and young people. These include the social services, the school and the police to name but a few. The social services have several different roles.

One fundamental role is to respond to children and families in need of help. Social workers are to undertake enquiries following allegations or suspicions of abuse, and carry out assessments as part of the Assessments Framework. They are also responsible for coordinating the implementation of the child protection plan for children on the child protection register, amongst other things. It is the role of schools to have arrangements for carrying out their functions with a view to safeguarding & promoting the welfare of children is under sections 175 & 157 of the Education Act 2002.

Education staff have a crucial role to play in helping identify welfare concerns and indicators of possible abuse or neglect at an early stage. The school should have a child protection policy and procedures in place that are in accordance with local authority guidance and locally agreed inter-agency procedures, and the policy is made available to parents on request. Schools should also operate safe recruitment procedures and make sure that all appropriate checks are carried out on staff and volunteers who work with children.

Finally the school should have procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse against staff and volunteers that comply with guidance from the local authority and locally agreed inter-agency procedures. The role of the police in the protection of children and young people is also wide ranged. The priorities of the police in relation to this are numerous. They aim to protect the lives of children and ensure that in the policing of child abuse, the welfare of the child is paramount. They aim to investigate all reports of child abuse and neglect and protect the rights of children who are victims of crime.

Finally, their role is to take effective action against offenders so that they can be held accountable for through the criminal justice system. TDA 2. 2 – 3. 1 Characteristics of different types of child abuse Emotional: Emotional child abuse is a form of behaviour that effects a child’s emotional development and sense of wellbeing. Signs of emotional abuse can vary by age and even gender. Children suffering form emotional mistreatment can become overly aggressive or extremely withdrawn, they may even show signs of both.

The signs of emotional abuse can be hard to detect and even harder to link, as a direct cause, to verbal and psychological maltreatment. Some typical characteristics of children suffering emotional abuse may include, low self-confidence, becoming detached and finding it difficult to form relationships, the child maybe become aggressive towards others and may refrain form making eye contact when being spoken to or interacting with others. In older children alcohol or drug abuse can be an indicator of emotional abuse.

Physical: Physical child abuse may be easier for a member of teaching staff to spot, as the results will usually leave the child with visible injuries that may reoccur or show a pattern such as a hand print or belt mark. Indicators of physical abuse may show in the form of unexplained bruises or cuts, on the child’s body, the child may become watchful and nervous as if waiting for something bad to happen. Another sign maybe that the child shies away from touch and flinches at sudden movements and may even become reluctant to go home at the end of the school day.

Sexual: Child sexual abuse involves persuading or forcing a child to take part in sexual activities, or encouraging a child to behave in sexually inappropriate ways. Sexual abuse can be very difficult to identify. However, there are steps that can be taken to help keep a child safe from sexual abuse and to protect a child if you suspect, or discover, that they have been abused. Children who have been sexually abused may show a variety of signs and symptoms, including: aggressive behaviour, sleep problems, missing school, problems with school work etc.

Neglect: Children are neglected if essential needs – the things they need to develop and grow – are persistently not met. This includes adequate supply of food, water, shelter, warmth, protection and health care. There are many signs that may indicate neglect. An inadequate home environment, such as adults leaving their children alone for long periods, continuously ignoring them, or failing to protect their children from danger, often suggests that a parent is incapable of looking after their child, which can then be deemed as neglect. Poor appearance and delayed development are also common signs that may indicate a child is being neglected.

Bullying – Bullying is hurtful behaviour from a child or group of children to a recipient child or group of children, which is usually repeated over a long period of time. It can happen in and outside of school, such as on the way to school or in clubs and groups. It can often be difficult for school staff and parents to know whether or not a child is being bullied, normally because that child is frightened to tell anyone. Also, bullying is often non-physical, so there are no external signs. There are signs to look out for however, which may suggest that a child is on the receiving end of bullying.

These signs can include: being over-tired, being afraid of attending school, being nervous, a loss in confidence or being distressed. TDA 2. 2 – 3. 2 – Risks and consequences of using the Internet & mobiles phones The Internet offers many positive educational and social benefits to young people, but unfortunately there are risks, too. As in any other area of life, children and young people are vulnerable and may expose themselves to danger, knowingly or unknowingly, when using the Internet and other digital technologies. Indeed, some young people may find themselves involved in activities that are inappropriate or possibly illegal.

One of the key risks of using the Internet, email or chat-rooms is that young people may be exposed to inappropriate material. This may be pornographic material, or material that is hateful or violent in nature; this may then encourage activities that are dangerous or illegal; or that is just age-inappropriate or biased. One of the key benefits of the web is that it is open to all, but unfortunately this also means that those with extreme political, racist or sexual views, for example, are able to spread their distorted version of reality – which may then be construed as ‘normal’ by vulnerable children.

Cyber Bullying is another aspect of the use of new technologies, which can provide an anonymous method by which bullies can torment their victims. While a young person may or may not be in physical danger, they may receive email, chat or text messages that make them feel embarrassed, upset, depressed or afraid. This can be very emotionally damaging, which in turn can be very tough for the child to deal with. The threat of physical danger is definitely one of the most worrying and extreme risks associated with the use of the Internet and other technologies, and is probably the risk most reported by the media.

There is a criminal minority that makes use of the Internet and online chat-rooms to make contact with young people, with the intention of developing relationships that they can progress to be sexual activity. Paedophiles will often target a child using this method – posing as a young person with similar interests and hobbies with the aim of establishing an online ‘friendship’. These relationships may then develop to a point where the paedophile has gained the trust in order to meet in person. These techniques are often known as ‘grooming’ or ‘child procurement’.

Paedophiles are one of the most dangerous threats to a young person, as these predatory individuals often only have one goal, which is to sexually abuse and kill individuals they have ‘groomed’. Continuing from the previous paragraph, this highlights another problem associated with children and young people using the Internet – and that is the potential divulgence of personal information. This can involve providing a random individual with personal information which could ultimately place themselves in grave danger – possibly even life threatening. TDA 2. 2 – 3. 3 – Actions to take in response to concerns relating to a child

It is paramount that when there is evidence or concern that a child or young person has been abused, harmed or bullied, or may be at risk of harm, abuse or bullying, any member of school staff involved follows the school’s safeguarding procedures. Where a child is suspected to be suffering, or likely to suffer significant harm, the teaching staff should immediately alert the local authorities. The local authority is then required by section 47 of the Children Act 1989 to make enquiries, to enable it to decide whether it should take any action to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child.

The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families provides a structured framework for collecting, drawing together and analysing available information about a child and family within the following three domains: child’s developmental needs, environmental factors and parenting capacity. The assessment helps provide sound evidence on which to base often difficult professional judgements about whether to intervene to safeguard and promote the welfare of a child, and if so, how best to do so and with what intended outcomes.

Where it is believed that there is imminent risk to the life of a child or a likelihood of serious imminent harm, Children’s Social Care, NSPCC or the police should act quickly to secure the immediate safety of the child. Planned emergency action will normally take place following a strategy discussion between Children’s Social Care, Police, legal services and other agencies. On occasions where an agency has needed to act immediately a strategy discussion should be held as soon as possible to plan the next steps.

It is then the duty of these local authorities to collaboratively devise a long term to plan to protect to child from imminent or future harm. TDA 2. 2 – 3. 4 – Actions to take in response to concerns relating to a colleague All organisations which work with children have a responsibility to recruit staff who are suitable to work with children. When an applicant first applies to work with children, they will be asked to complete a form to disclose any convictions that they may have.

Even with these checks in place abuse can, and has, happened within schools. This is called institutional abuse. All staff have a duty to comply with policy and procedures. Failure to comply may put children at risk of harm or abuse, so concerns should always be reported to the designated person for safeguarding or the head teacher. If any concerns arise that a colleague is abusing a child, the actions taken should be exactly the same as if the abuser is a parent, family member or stranger.

Immediate action must be taken to protect the child by informing the head teacher. If the allegation is against the head teacher, concerns should be reported to the designated person for child protection or directly to the Education Authority. These are difficult situations but the first priority must always be to the child. It is important that any of the information is not discussed with others, although the persons dealing with the allegations may need to seek support for themselves.

Author: Brandon Johnson

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